Rugged Daddy

“I’m not asking Charlie.”

“You might not have a choice.”

I choked down the strong coffee, and it forced me awake. I hugged Nikki, thanked her for talking with me, and then I shooed her off so I could get to baking. Lord knew I wouldn’t have to make much. As if my days weren’t slow enough, Wednesdays were the slowest, mostly because the bakery up the road ran their Weekend Wednesday promotion. I still didn’t understand the concept, but the idea of people being able to enjoy something that reminded them of their weekend in the middle of the damn week worked. I watched people walk by my bakery for hours favoring them in the long run.

And all I was doing by baking more was wasting money once the food had to be donated.

I leaned against the counter and started doing some research on banks outside the area I could go see, other ways to make money, and even freelance baking.

Something.

Anything to get me money. I scrolled through pages of information on the internet, wondering where in the world I was going to come up with the cash I needed in one quick turnaround. Everything took way too long to pay out or more collateral than everything I owned in triplicate.

Then, an ad popped up on my phone that grabbed my attention. As I read the page, my eyes kept going back to the ad. It wasn’t something I ever would have noticed before, but under the circumstances, I was ready to try just about anything that wasn’t illegal or unethical.

Healthy Women Needed for Professional Surrogacy. $200,000.00 Minimum Payout.

Two hundred thousand dollars? Were they serious? It had to be a scam. My thumb hovered over the button to close the window.

Instead, I clicked on the ad.

The link didn’t take me to an article but to a website, a very secure, legitimate-looking website. I scrolled through the information, reading up on what it was about. It was essentially a baby bank for men. Just like women could walk into sperm banks and get what they needed, this service specialized in the same process for men. They made guarantees about monetary payout as well as having all medical expenses covered and contracts that would be signed by the two parties. They boasted of their women being happy and healthy and protected while the men screened with the same amount of scrutiny.

Two hundred thousand dollars. For giving birth?

It wouldn’t help me with my problem immediately, but it would in the long run. I was desperate, and I figured there was no harm in finding out what it was about, so I dialed the number and held my phone to my ear, watching as people walked by my bakery and headed up the street.

I rolled my eyes as a cheery woman picked up on the other end.

“SurroPoint Advocacy, this is Marsha speaking. How may I help you?”

“Yes, hi. My name is Heather Palmer. I saw an ad online that shot me to your website.”

“Are you looking to become a surrogate or refer someone to the program?” she asked.

“What is needed to become a surrogate?” I asked. “I mean, the claims on your website are pretty outlandish.”

“They might seem so. For starters, two hundred thousand is a bargain-basement price.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Most of the women in our care are paid anywhere between five hundred and eight hundred thousand dollars.”

I almost dropped my coffee mug on the floor. If this was for real, if it was feasible, it could solve all my problems. I could pay off my current loan and be able to expand and advertise without incurring more debt.

“Okay. Well, how does all of this work?”

“It’s simple. A woman applies, and we do a thorough background check. We pull educational history, criminal history, financial history, familial history. We set up intensive background

screenings. Our clients expect the healthiest women for their children, so we make sure to provide that service for them. In exchange, they’re charged a premium price as well as providing for all of the medical expenses that accrues.”

“And how does payment work?” I asked.

“Most women receive the money in monthly chunks. That’s the most popular plan.”

My heart fluttered in my chest at the statement. It was exactly what I’d hoped for. “What would I have to do to start that process?”

“You’d set up an appointment to come in and fill out an application. A primary health screening will be required as well upon arrival. If you pass all those initial windows, then more extensive testing is done before you’re matching with a proper provider.”